z10 dying gradual death.

My z10 will not turn on and shows no signs of life (the volume control also doesn't work but I'm guessing that is unrelated)

I'm on my fourth blackberry. I've tried to remain loyal but this may be my last if this can't be fixed easily.

Series of events:
Volume control: first thing to go was the volume up button. It would go down but I had to go to settings to increase media volume. I was unable to find a way to increase phone or speakerphone volume. A week or so later the volume down button also stopped working.

Power: about two weeks ago it started spontaneously shutting off. I was able to power it back on, but sometimes it took a couple of tries. Two days ago it powered off and wouldn't come back on. I tried charging it through an outlet and through a USB computer connection. After about four hours it came back on while connected to the computer, Battery charge showed 3/4. Yeaterday it wouldn't power on in the morning. It started up once and got to the point where the powering up logo showed up. Before it turned on, the screen gradually faded and shut off for good to this point. I thought it might just be the charger port but today I tried a different fully charged battery and nothing happened (no red charge light either).

I should also mention that I had a drop eight months ago, with a cracked LCD. I had the screen and digitizer replaced by an unofficial repair shop. I wasn't about to pay $250 to repair a phone that initially cost me less than that BNIB. The repair worked fine and thee were no other issues until a few months later when the volume buttons started to go.

The down side to drops and falls and unofficial repairs... it has all kinds of side effects including unsealing the device. Just a random guess but it sounds like the device is no longer water tight and humidity is getting into the motherboard. That would cause buttons to stop working due to build up on the connectors. And eventually mobo failure.

It sucks but the bad news is.. it sounds like your hooped and the only solution is #5 or the next platform.

My z10 will not turn on and shows no signs of life (the volume control also doesn't work but I'm guessing that is unrelated)

I'm on my fourth blackberry. I've tried to remain loyal but this may be my last if this can't be fixed easily.

Series of events:
Volume control: first thing to go was the volume up button. It would go down but I had to go to settings to increase media volume. I was unable to find a way to increase phone or speakerphone volume. A week or so later the volume down button also stopped working.

Power: about two weeks ago it started spontaneously shutting off. I was able to power it back on, but sometimes it took a couple of tries. Two days ago it powered off and wouldn't come back on. I tried charging it through an outlet and through a USB computer connection. After about four hours it came back on while connected to the computer, Battery charge showed 3/4. Yeaterday it wouldn't power on in the morning. It started up once and got to the point where the powering up logo showed up. Before it turned on, the screen gradually faded and shut off for good to this point. I thought it might just be the charger port but today I tried a different fully charged battery and nothing happened (no red charge light either).

I should also mention that I had a drop eight months ago, with a cracked LCD. I had the screen and digitizer replaced by an unofficial repair shop. I wasn't about to pay $250 to repair a phone that initially cost me less than that BNIB. The repair worked fine and thee were no other issues until a few months later when the volume buttons started to go.

Not exactly sure what you are asking for.... someone to go back in time and stop you from dropping your Z10? Or just a simple full on technically miracle?

Not exactly sure what you are asking for.... someone to go back in time and stop you from dropping your Z10? Or just a simple full on technically miracle?
.

I thought it would be odd for problems such as they are to start occurring eight months after a drop, so I was hoping someone might know what if the gradual failure of the phone to power was indicative of a particular problem.

I don't think I can do a clean install if the phone is not powering on at all or connecting to link (although it did the first time it failed to power on two days ago)

I had a PlayBook die this way once. It was a motherboard issue. I never did disassemble and discover why, I did a last minute sync by jumping the voltage and moving the data out. But it definitely sounds like some bad luck happening.

At the end of the day, it's what you want. If you still like BlackBerry stick with them. If you feel like trying a new OS go for it. Personally, I first got my BlackBerry Z10 when it first came out and I dropped it a few times in a span of a year. I found that it was extremely durable as it survived each drop perfectly fine. I'm on my second Z10 as my first got stolen. Even though the Z10 may be outdated I still quite like the hardware as well as the software. Therefore, get a phone that you want and that will fit your needs.